VIRGINIA TRUCK DRIVER ERROR ACCIDENTS
Virginia Truck Accident - Driver Error
Truck Drivers are hard working folk, and most do a dangerous job, safely. But a few operate their trucks negligently, and cause accidents. These accidents usually come with injuries, and the people who are hurt have the right to make claims for those injuries. If you or a loved one has been hurt in a Virginia Truck Accident, call Blaszkow Legal today. We fight hard, every time and for every client, to get you all of the compensation you deserve. Get Justice with Joe!
Driver error comes down to mistakes, whether made intentionally or carelessly, or even recklessly. Truck drivers have to scan the whole roadway, and drive with due regard for themselves and car drivers, motorcycle riders, and even pedestrians. They have a tough job, and most do it well - and we hold the ones who don't, accountable for their actions.
One wrong move can cost you the life you used to know - don't let them get away with it. Call a Virginia Truck Accident Attorney right away - 703-879-5910
What Are Some Common Types of Driver Error That Causes Truck Accidents?
Most trucks weigh under 80,000 pounds - that 40 tons of steel and iron, moving on the highway at speeds up to 60 and 70 miles per hour. These trucks have to be stringently controlled, or the accidents they cause can be severe. Some common examples of Virginia truck driver error:
Tailgating
Speeding
Unsafe Lane Changes / Merging Without Looking
Failing to Double Check Blind Spots
Failing to Yield the Right of Way
Shifting Cargo
Driving Too Fast For Weather Conditions
Most of these errors are completely preventable by adding some extra time to a trip, and driving safely. However, sometimes drivers feel enormous pressure from their companies and even dispatchers. This represents another claim that may be made against that person/company - but to do that, we have to investigate right away. Call a Virginia Truck Accident Attorney now.
Common Types of Driver Error Truck Accidents in Virginia
When a truck driver is negligent, he or she can cause accidents that result in severe and sometimes catastrophic injuries. Trucks are huge, and because of this size, there are numerous kinds of truck crashes that can result:
Rear-end Collisions: Trucks drivers who speed, or fail to brake in time will strike the vehicle ahead, simply because there is too much inertia, and it overrides the brakes. Trucks, like buses and trains, cannot stop on a dime. A professional driver knows this, and acts accordingly.
Blindspot Accidents: Trucks have huge blindspots (directly in front, on either side of the cab, and directly behind the trailer). As the trailers say: if you can't see the truckers' mirrors, they cannot see you. But truck drivers can take steps to minimize the risk of blind spot crashes by installing sufficient mirrors, and looking before merging or turning.
Rollover Accidents: Trucks are taller than they are wide, and if they take turns too fast, the physics takes over. Centrifugal force pushes the top over, and the trucks roll onto their sides. Unfortunately, there are sometimes cars right next to those trucks, and a truck rollover crash can crush a car, SUV, or even pick-up.
Jackknife Accidents: This is a crash unique to semi-trucks. The trailer sits on a "fifth-wheel," or circular C-like device atop the tractor's rear axles. But the tractor can go only so far either left or right. When the tractor does too far, or is pushed (or, conversely, the trailer is pushed too far), the result is a jackknife, creating an angle between the tractor and trailer. This can be caused by improperly loaded cargo, or just negligent truck driver operation.
Head-on Collision: These accidents are horrific. A truck, at speed, strikes another vehicle at an equal speed, with the front of both vehicles connecting. Inertia moves bodies as well as metal, and these collisions result in a lot of fatalities. Sometimes these collisions happen when a trucker is tired, and the truck veers from his lane into oncoming traffic.
Claims for Damages After a Virginia Driver Error Accident
If you have been injured in a Virginia Truck Accident, you have the right to assert a claim for all of the injuries you have sustained. We call this a claim for damages, but damages does not merely mean a broken bone, or neck strain or sprain. Damages is a legal term that encompasses every way in which this truck crash has impacted your life. Physical pain comes with emotional pain, and the damage to your car can also come with far more impact than just a repair bill.
When someone else's negligence has caused a truck accident, your claim for damages includes:
Medical Expenses, such as emergency room bills, ambulance bills, emergency room doctors bills, physical therapy, etc.
Pain and Suffering
Mental Anguish
Inconvenience
Lost Wages
Loss of Earning Capacity
Disfigurement or Deformity
Diminished Value (of your car)
Permanent Injuries
and more
Your claim may also extend to future medical expenses, beyond those which you have already incurred. Sometimes, doctors forecast that you may need a hip or shoulder replacement in ten years' time - if this happens, you may have a claim for this future cost, even though you have not yet actually paid for it. Trucking companies have to have certain insurance policies, so you need a good truck accident lawyer to make sure that everything is claimed that can be claimed.
How Does Blaszkow Legal Investigate Truck Accidents?
Truck Accidents are common, but you need a system to investigate these cases properly. We have the Blaszkow Legal Method. The Blaszkow Legal Method ensures that we begin investigating a case the minute you walk into our door and become a client. We work every client's accident case up for trial, so that insurance companies cannot think we aren't prepared to go all the way.
Our team of attorneys, paralegals, and investigators has experience working truck accident cases, including those were driver error causes a death.
We investigate the truck driver and trucking company, and see if this crash is merely one in a pattern of behavior that should have been corrected, and wasn't. Our job is to prove negligence, whether on the part of the truck driver, or the trucking company.
We reconstruct the crash itself. This involves going to the scene, taking measurements, and voluminous pictures and videos. This way, data is preserved for a certified crash reconstruction expert to testify later on.
We take immediate steps to preserve and protect the evidence in your case, including the data in the truck itself. Trucks, like modern cars, are equipped with EDRs, or event data recorders. This raw data, when reviewed, shows exactly what was happening in the mechanical operation of the truck before the accident happened. We also send notices to protect and preserve electronical and digital data for the truck's numerous computer systems. This helps us to potentially prove a distracted driving case.
We review driver logs to determine whether the trucker was following the law.
There are dozens of steps we take to make sure we can prove your case, because the burden is always on the Plaintiff to prove that the tortfeasor was negligent.
Call an Experienced Virginia Truck Accident Lawyer
Blaszkow Legal has the knowledge and experience to investigate your case and find out who was responsible for your injuries. It's our job to work hard and take as much stress off of you as possible, so you can focus on getting better, and getting your life back in order.
We have worked many truck accidents in Virginia, as well as Maryland and DC. Our Method gets results, and you need that. You need a team that knows what the insurance companies will say and do, and will take steps right away to mitigate those insurance company arguments. The trucking companies have a legion of lawyers on their side - you need a fighter on yours. Get Justice With Joe - call 703-879-5910 for a free Virginia Truck Accident consultation today!l